Worry over tornadoes

Plymouth leader concerned about twister striking there.

Plymouth leader concerned about twister striking there.

December 04, 2005|CHRIS GAUTZ Tribune Staff Writer

PLYMOUTH -- Terah Martin, 16, has always worried about the threat of tornadoes. Living in a mobile home does little to calm those fears, but four months ago, her concern -- and her family -- grew with the birth of her son, Trevor. Now she wants to make sure they are both safe in the event of a tornado and wishes the Northgate Mobile Home Park, where she has lived for the past two years, had a tornado shelter. She says a shelter would be a good idea because of all the children who live at Northgate, she said. Right now, her only option is to head to the ditches at the end of the park. "It's a five-minute walk from here, I don't know about a run," Martin said. While watching the news coverage of the tornado that hit the Evansville area last month, killing 23 people, Plymouth Common Council member Kurt Garner said a thought that had been in his mind for some time was refreshed: "What if that happened here?" One of the things that most disturbed him was that the mobile home park hit by the tornado in Evansville seemed to be less densely populated than Northgate. "If the same storm went through there, I think you would have to multiply the numbers of deaths by three," Garner said. "That's unacceptable." Several weeks ago, he presented an outline of his approach to examining the city's response plan in the event of a tornado to the city's board of public works. "I think we need to get the plan out and review it," he said. Garner said that when he began working on the plan, he spoke with Plymouth Fire Chief George Cook. "I don't think there is a citywide plan for a tornado," Cook said. When the department receives word of a tornado warning, it sets off a siren for a single three-minute blast to alert residents to seek shelter. Firefighters then take trucks set up with public address systems and drive through several of the mobile home parks and apartment complexes to further alert those there of the impending danger. In the past, those who have heeded the warning have driven to the fire department and taken shelter in the basement, something Cook said he is happy to accommodate. Garner said he hopes his plan will provide another option. "If you've got minutes to do something, getting in your car and driving to the fire station isn't the answer," he said. New mobile home facilities are required to build such a shelter under a change in Plymouth's zoning ordinance several years ago. Older parks, like Northgate, do not, and this worries Garner. Cook said those who don't have a shelter will have to look into building one. "It's a no-brainer. If they want to have a place to go, they have to build it," Cook said. "That's all there is to it." Garner said that as a first step, he will review the city's plan with Cook and Police Chief Jim Cox. He then plans to talk with the Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Office in January. In February, Garner will look at existing facilities and what is needed. Then in March, he wants to meet with owners of the parks and apartment complexes to hear their thoughts on the issue. "I want to have a game plan in place by June," he said. Garner said his goal is to have everyone thinking about a proactive approach now, rather than having to react to a tragedy similar to Evansville's here. "I'm not sure where this is going to go," he said. "We probably have waited too long to do this already." When tornado warnings have come in the past, the family has chosen to stay inside the mobile home and move to a windowless room. "A lot of times you don't have time to get back (to the ditches)," said Terah Martin's mother, Rebecca Calix. "If it's right up on you, how would you get back there?" If a shelter was built, they said they would definitely make use of it. "I think trailer parks should have a storm shelter for people," Calix said.